Process of making fire-retardant glass.



No. 867,510. PATENTED OCT. l, 1907. G. J. JUNGERS.

PROCESS OF `MAKING FIRE RETARDANT GLASS.

- APPLIUATION FILED ooT.29. 190e.

layer introduce a wire web or trellis lbetween the ad- Eties', its Vown advantages and its own disadvantages.

. provide a process .the trellis is more or Yless incorporated 'with the upper ation; and the'wire-glass formed by that process in`which' v NITED STATE CLEMENT rJJJUNGrERS, OF STREATOR, ILLI NOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE WESTERN GLASS COMPANY, OF STREATOR, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.'

PROCESS OF MAKING FIRE-RETARDANT GLASS.

Application filed October 29,

To all whom 'it may concern: v

Be'it'known that l, CLEMENT J. JUNGERs, a citizen of the Grand Dukedom of Luxemburg, and a resident of Streator, in the county of La Salle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Making Fire-Retardant Glass, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an i improved process of making lire-retardant glass of that general type commonly known as wire-glass and it has for its objectsto whereby a product of improved uniformity and quality may be economically made.

The art of making so-called wire-glass is well known, and various methods have been heretofore more or less successfully carried out. For example, itis old to form a layer of glass, impress a trellis or nettir g th crein and thereafter close the openings formed by im pressing, the trellis into the surface'of the layer by passing one or more following rollers thereover; it is old to form a first layer and simultaneously with the forming of Vsuch vancing surface of the roller and the ball of glass so that surface of the first layer by the front roller,"a second layer being subsequently formed upon this first layer containing the web; it is old to form concurrently as a progressive operation two layers of glass, 011e superposed upon the other, the web or wire of trellis being fed by fiooded over and incorporated between the layers as the second layer is formed upon the first by a following roller, and it is old to form -two layers of glass successively, Vone superposed upon the other, the first layer being formed and allowed to harden sufficiently to support the trellis or web, the latter then applied to the top surface of the first layer, and the second layer thereafter4 formed upon the lower layer and superposed web. Each of these several methods has its own characteris- For example, the glass formed by rolling out a sheet, then impressing the web into the top surface thereof,v and thereafter closing the impressions by a following roll, is ununiform and rough; the wire-glass formed by introducing the wire web into and concurrently with the formation ofthe first layer is more brilliant and uniform in texture',but the webis liable to distortion by reason of the fact thatiit passes through'a considerable mass of molten glass vbefore it reaches its flnal'position and during such passage is subject 'tothe stresses incident to the iiowing action of the glass and the crushing or pressing action of therollenand moreover the partial exposure of the web after it passes from beneath the roller and while it is red hot, by reason of itscontact with the molten glass, produces oxidation and discolor- Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1, 1907. 1906. Serial No. 340,998.

two layers are formed concurrently by means of leading and following rolls, and the wire is introduced by grav# ity in rear of the leading and in advance of the following roll, is also more or less defective because the wire being uncontrolled and freeA towarp, spring and bend as it passes into and between the layers, is not placed with uniformity or accuracy therein, while in the case of the wire-glass formed'by that process in which the lirst'layer is allowed to harden sufficiently tosupport the trellis before the latter is applied and the second layer started, is defective inuniformity of texture owing to the difficulty of welding a relatively hot layer of glass to-a partially cooled layer.

By my present invention `I obviate the several 0bjections above enumerated. v The invention will be readily understood from the following description, reference being had to the aci companying drawings forming a part thereof, and in which- Figure l is a central longitudinal vertical section of so much of the table and cooperative mechanism as is immediately concerned in the formation of the glass; Fig. 2 is a cross vertical sectional View taken approximately on line 2 2 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows; Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the machine.

ln the drawings, l designates as a whole the bed of the machine or casting plate, which in the present instance is shown as being movably mounted, although, as will be readily understood by those skilled in this art, the bed may be stationary and the roller mechanism' lmade to traverse the latter. Said bed is mounted upon a suitable frame 2 provided iwith truck wheels 3 arranged to traverse suitable rails 4.

At each side of the bed, andl extending longitudinally along the latter, is astationary frame 5, upon which are mounted and journaled the several rolls, as 6, 7 and 8, which cooperate in forming the product. Each roll is shown as journaled in suitable pairs of standards, as 9, 10 and 11; the rolls 6 and 7 being, as usual, sosupported as to have a limited rising and falling movement, while the roll 8 is supported in journal boxeslZ, the position of which may be adjusted'and controlled by means vof adjusting screws 13 so that said roll may be raised orlowered. The rolls 6 and 7whi1e'journaled andconned in the corresponding*framestandards are 100l nevertheless, jd'qectly supportedy upon trangs conf structed and arranged inj a manner peculiar to the present invention. Thatfis to say, the leading roll 7 V is 4arranged to rest and travel at each end upon a pair of trangs 14 rising above the thickness of the lower or first-layer of glass, while the following roll 6 is longer and arrangedto rest and travel at its ends upon a pairfof trangsl arranged parallel with and outside of the lower 'trangsfl these outer trangs rising to a height thevtable, to a heightlequal to '105 above the' table equal to, `they 110 full thickness of the finished product. Both rolls are provided with journal extensions or trunnions at each end'to engage the corresponding journal standards, and so also each roll is provided at each end with a fixed gear, as 16, which gears severally mesh with racks l7 upon the traveling frame 2. ln order that the ends of the leading roll 7 may not engage the higher outer trangs 15, said roll is provided with annular rabbets as i8.

Describing now more particularly the mechanism for controlling and directing the wire or other fire resistant reinforcement into position between the layers, and for maintaining it under tension while thus guiding it into position, the roller 8 is, as hereinbeore stated,l

adjustably mounted in its standards and is in practice so adjusted that its periphery approaches relatively close to, but nevertheless is lcept out of contact with,

the upper surface of the first layer. f i

Upon some suitable part oi the stationary frame, as for example the standards l0 of the leading roll, is mounted a reel 19 for holding the roll of wire, and between this reel and the guiding roller 8 is mounted a pair of tension rolls 2Q and 2l. Conveniently the tension rolls are journaled inq yoke extensions 22; the journals of the roller 2l being conveniently fixed while the journals of the coperating roll 20 ,are slidably mounted in said yoke and controlled by adjusting screws, as 23.

My improved method, as carried out by the use o; the mechanism herein described, is substantially as follows: A first pour or batch of glass (designated 24`in thedrawing) is placed upon the bed or plate in front of the leading roller 7 and the table started to move in the direction `to carry it beneath said leading roll. The wire or web 19, having been previously adjusted to position on the reel and trained through the tension rolls and beneath the guiding roll, encounters the advancing edge or top surface of the first layer as the latter passes beneath said guiding rolland immediately becomes cemented thereto and is carried along. As'soon as the end of the web and first layer of glass is carried to a point beneath the following roll 6, a second pour or batch of glass (designated in the drawing 25) is placed in advance of the following roll 6, and thereafter the formation of the two layers of glass proceeds concurrently in the successive order they are started.- The relatively advancing edge 26 of the second pour of glass flows over and embeds the wire or web progressively, and inasmuch as the two layers are formed progressively and concurrently the pressure of the overiiowing glass will impress the web more or less into the'upper surface of the vfirst layer, so that it may be said that the web will be placed accurately coincident with the meeting surfaces of the two layers. 8, it is to be noted, is elevated sufficiently above the surface of the first layer and the web is drawn underneath the guiding roll under a substantial tension, so thatv the web is at all times held out of actual contact with both bodies of glass, i. e. the first layer and the The guiding rolle'r i distortion. Passing from the periphery of the guiding roll to the point whcre it'entcrs the gloss, howcvcr, it is held in such close proximity to thc surface of thc lirst layer that it is heated to a considerable cxl ont und suiiiciently `to remove any grease or readily combustible impurities. Moreovenit will be nolcd that thc wcb of wire is exposed to the radiated heat of the first layer during the greater part oi its travel from thc reel to the guiding roll although owing to its distancc from the hot glass overheating is impossible.

By reason of the fact that the wcboi wirc is drawn down under a substantial tension it will bc obvious` 1li-.it they web Will be held taut and nccuralcly conform to the periphery of the roll. which will, of coursc, bc udjusted accurately parallel with thc uppcr surfucc of the first layer., from which it follows thai (lic wcb of wire will enter the glass at thc juncluri` oi' thc two bodics with great accuracy and ovcnncss.

That feature oi the process which consists in main taining the wire web under dcnilrtcusiou :url :iccurate. control up to the inst ant it bccomcs cmlwdib-d in its final position is not to be uudcrcslimatcd sincc the difficulty of securing a uniform and uccunu c plnccmcni of the wire in glass of this charactcr has hcrctolorc bccu serious.

In practicecertain wcavcs ol' wing-those most com-- monly employed in making glass oi this charset or, have a tendency to curl or thc cdgcs thcrcof todraw iu ioward the center under thc action oi the heat and bcforc .being incorporated or sccurcd lin thc glass. ily thc use of tension devices and a guiding roll this tendency is largely obviated, and furthermore l prcfcrio rouglicn or slightly corrugate these rolls so as to still furl hor control the wire and obviate this tendency.

A further feature of advantage oi the prcscnt proccss, yas carried out with the mechanism described, is this: 'it vwill be noted-that the guiding roller 8 is so loc-.ded with reference to the following' roll 6 that when thc sccond pour of glass is made between these two rollers it will initially fill or substantially fill the space bei raven said rollers, and its relatively advancing edge 2u, i. that edge which' first encounters' the first layer will initially assume a straightl line extending across the said first layer, and this straight line will be maintained, or substantially maintained, during the entire opera-- tion of rolling the sheet because as the pour of glass is consumed the advance edge will retreat relatively to the guiding roll 8 with'substantial uniformity. lt iollows that the wire web or trellis will therefore pass into the mass along a line which is substantially straight across the full width of the web with the'result that the wire will be accurately located\ across the full width and length ofthe sheet.

The process herein described is not to be conuscd with certain processes of the prior art in which thc layers of glass are formed as the molten material is foil or flows downwardly between forming rolls. processes the glass is not Hooded overa inctsllic web resting upon or 'embedded in another previously formed layer andthe conditions'are otherwise different to such extent that the two general, methods are clearly distinguished.

I claim as my invention:

ln such currently fotoing n on a' substantially horizontal support two layers ofv glas 'one upon the other and formed in successive order, nd simultaneously paying out under tensionV and positively and continuously directing into the relatively progressing line of juncture between the finished upper surface of the first layer and advance meeting portion of the second layer, a lire-resisting reinforcement, said reinforcement being held free from con- 'tact with either body of glass until overiiowed by the l0 relatively advancing edge ot the second layer.

2. The process of making glass having a fire-resisting material incorporated therein, which consists in making u first pour of glass and starting the rolling of n layer therefrom, making a second pour of' glass upon said "-started first loyer, confining said second pour to cause its relatively vadvancing edge to initilly assume n substan` tially straight line across the rst layer, thereafter concurrently rolling out the two layers, one upon the other, und simultaneously paying out Iunder tension ynnd ac` curntcly guiding into the relatively progressing line of -juncture between the finished upper surface of the iirst layer andadvance nzieeti'ngV portion of` the second layer, a fire-resistingfrei'nforcernent, said reinforcement being held free from' contact :with either body of glass until overflowed by the relatively ,advancing edge ofthe' second layer.

3. The process of making glass having tiro-resisting material sincorporated therein, which consists in con currently forming upon a substantially Horizontal support twoiayers of glass, one upon the other uend formed in successive order, and simultaneously"paying-.out--under `tension and positively und Vcontinuously d irectilng"v into the second layer, a iire-resisting re- 4 

